My Friend Indeed
by WritePassion
Summary: Michael needs help with a personal mission, and Sam is the only one he can turn to for assistance. No slash, just innocent brotherly love.
1. Chapter 1

_Burn Notice: I don't own it, I just like to play with it._

_After all the angst generated by the new season preview clips and press, I decided we all needed something lighter. This story starts out angsty, but I hope that it will speak to you of the brotherly love and devotion that two friends have despite all circumstances and situations. Enjoy!_

**My Friend Indeed**

By WritePassion

I've spent so much of my life depending upon myself to get out of scrapes. Way back, long ago, I had a team to count on, and again until recently I had people who were friends and not just team members. We came together through adversity, and clung to each other through the worst of times. Sam, who was as down and out as I was, and maybe even more so, allied with me to make a little cash until I could figure out who burned me. We forged a bond a long time ago, and I didn't realize just how strong it was until he so willingly agreed to work with me to get the desire of my heart. I'm afraid I wasn't very good in returning that devotion. Instead, I led him into situations he should have run from, like any sane person would. He stuck with me, and I learned after I was on my own how precious his friendship was to me.

God only knows the real reason for Fiona coming down to Miami to be by my side when I woke from a serious beating in Nigeria. Maybe she still felt something for me and wanted to provide support in some small way before I took my last breath. But I didn't die. Maybe she was a little disappointed by that, yet she came to my loft and snuck back into my life to torment and love me in equal measures.

Jesse's circumstances were my fault, and I felt so terrible about burning him that I took him in and hid the truth until he figured it out for himself. I see now that I wasn't doing him any favors, and at times the guilt is excruciating when I think of how much he lost getting involved in our 'merry band' as Sam referred to it.

My Ma and Nate paid for my obsession more than anyone, she losing a son, and Nate losing his life. Everything I did was for my own benefit all along and I never stopped to think about how it would affect my friends. Now I'm on the verge of being finished with the Agency, on my own terms, and I have no one on the other side of that invisible wall. I tried calling my Ma for advice, but the voice mail picked up. Before I could start to feel wretchedly sorry about myself, I remembered that she was entertaining Virgil. Virgil! Just the thought of his name makes me growl deep and low, balling my fists, wanting to punch something, preferably his grinning face.

When it comes to spy craft, intelligence gathering, and storming high security compounds, I'm the man. When it comes to other things, things that concern the people I love, I am a complete mess.

"Hello, this is Jesse. Leave a message, man, and I'll get back to ya."

I forced out a long breath and ended the call without leaving anything. I'd been trying to get a hold of Jesse for weeks, but he seems to be screening my calls. He never answers, and I don't blame him. All my hopes that we'd somehow formed a bond beyond friendship were dashed like a fine piece of crystal crashing to the floor. I was beginning to think that every close relationship I had was an illusion of my own mind.

There was only one person left to call, and it was foolish of me to think that he wouldn't help. Why I didn't bypass everyone and go to him at the start, I don't know. No, I do. It was that old enemy insecurity rearing its head and telling me that I didn't deserve Sam's friendship. Shaking my head at my stupidity, I pressed the speed dial for Sam's number.

"Hey, Mikey, how's it going? Haven't heard from you in awhile," Sam answered on the fourth ring. In the background I could hear splashing and kids shrieking and giggling.

"Where are you, Sam?"

Sam laughed. "Poolside, Mike. Where else would I be? There are a couple families here with kids. Hang on. No, Baby, stop that." His laugh was light. "Elsa, please. I'll be right back."

"Promise?"

"Oh, you bet, Sweetheart." He kissed her, and I heard it over the phone.

Good thing Sam wasn't there, or he would have seen me cringe. The interaction between him and Elsa reminded me of everything I could have had and didn't because of my foolishness. The last I heard, Fiona was seeing some other guy, a perfect partner for her gun-running. I would have rather seen her stick with Sam doing odd jobs. Yes, I was jealous. How many times had she tried to tweak that dark side in an attempt to force me to show my feelings? I resisted because feelings are bad when you're a spy. Feelings leave one vulnerable in the field, and if I had any hope of coming back to her alive, I had to stuff everything I felt for her inside, in a tiny box in my heart, until I was free to release it. Yes, I was taking a risk in losing her, but if I shirked everything that had rained down after my being burned, God only knows how bad things could have been.

"Mikey, you still there? Mike?"

Sam's voice startled me back to the matter at hand. "Oh yeah, sorry, Sam."

"Sorry about that noise. This is the first time in awhile that Elsa's had to just sit and relax at the pool."

"No need to explain," I interrupted him. "You're lucky you still have her after everything I dragged you into."

"Aw, come on now, I volunteered. Once I got on the Michael Westen is burned freight train, there was no getting off," Sam countered. I could hear his smile over the line. "I couldn't very well leave my best buddy hanging by his fingernails, could I?"

"If I recall, when we reunited you weren't exactly in the best situation yourself."

"True." Sam fell silent for a moment, and when he returned, there was a more sober tone on the other side. "You rescued me, again. Let's face it, I was heading down the wrong path, brother, and helping you brought me back to life."

He was right. "And you kept me from going off the deep end how many times." I grinned.

"Ain't that the truth. You're a high maintenance friend, Mike."

"That must be my problem. Why I'm alone..." I cut myself off. No feeling sorry for myself allowed.

"What's going on, Mike? You don't normally sulk."

"I'm not sulking." I defended too quickly, but even if I had waited, Sam already knew. He was too good a friend not to see it, even without being face to face.

"You are. So what's eating at you?" Before I could reply, he continued, "Hey, why don't you grab a pair of trunks, come on over to the hotel, and we'll hang out for the rest of the day? Or do you have something more pressing with the Agency?"

"No, I don't." The sound of those words brought conflict, with part of me sensing a load being lifted off my shoulders, and the other half anxious for a new assignment. Maybe that's why I was so on edge. Despite my misgivings, I answered, "I'll be there in about a half hour."

"Alright! We'll be at the pool, and I'll have an ice tea waiting for you."

"Thanks, Sam."

"Anytime, Mike." He was smiling again when he said, "It'll be okay, whatever it is. Trust me."

"I do." After I hung up, I muttered, "But I don't know if you can help me with this."

I couldn't find my swim trunks. In all the clothes I owned, which weren't many, a few suits and mostly fatigues and black clothing, I didn't have a single swimsuit. I remembered that everything that Fi and I had burned up in the loft, except what we carried in our bags, and a stab of pain threatened to tear my heart in two again. I blinked at the wetness forming in my eyes. It broke Fi's heart to lose all those snow globes. If I could, I would travel around the world to every place she visited and try to replace them. Granted, I would never find the same ones, but I would do my best to get close enough.

The idea was madness, but as I tore through my dresser and my meager belongings inside, the insanity of it appealed to me. I hoped that Sam could help. First, however, I needed to find a swimsuit. I gave up and called Sam again.

"Hello," he answered.

"Sam, sorry I'm running late. I can't find my swimsuit."

"Don't worry about it. I'll get you one from the boutique in the hotel. By the time you get here, I'll be waiting in the lobby and take you upstairs to change. How about it?"

"Sounds great, except... you know I don't want anything too loud."

"It'll whisper, I promise," Sam joked. "Talk to you when you get here, Mike." He ended the call, and I had the distinct feeling that he would enjoy himself shopping for something that I may not like, but for him I would tolerate.

True to his word, the moment I handed my keys to the valet and urged him to be careful with my Charger, I heard Sam's voice and saw him trotting down the steps to meet me.

"He'll treat it like a baby, Mike, don't worry." He addressed the valet. "Isn't that right, Ty? One scratch and you're..."

"No worries, Mr. Axe. I'll take very good care of her," Ty answered with a gleam in his eye before turning away.

"See? I trust that kid with the Caddy, he'll take good care of the Charger." He placed a hand on my shoulder blade and directed me to the hotel lobby. "It sure is good to see you again."

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to be back in Miami," I said, and I meant it. I always thought it would take being dragged through hell and back to get it out of me, but the past seven years had been close enough.

Sam's touch on my shoulder was brief, and it felt good. It told me that I wasn't as bad off as I thought, that I still had him as a friend. He led me to the elevator, asking me about the Agency and how things were going. As we rode to the penthouse with a couple of businessmen and a bellhop carrying their bags, I gave simple, safe answers.

"It's going okay. Things are almost wrapped up."

From the corner, Sam turned to me. "Seriously? That means you'll be coming back to stay?"

The light in his eyes was unmistakable. I smiled, a tight stretch of my lips, afraid to be too committal. "I haven't decided yet."

"Come on, brother, you need to come home. I know you hate Miami, but this is where everybody loves you." He caught the eye of one of the businessmen looking at him funny. Ignoring him, he added, "Your family is here, and we all want you home."

The elevator stopped and dropped off both men and the bellhop. I was relieved and took a deep breath when the doors closed. "I don't know. Like I said, I haven't figured it out where I'll settle."

"I just think that you're always gonna feel like an outsider everywhere else in the world." The elevator stopped again, the doors opened, and Sam led the way to the suite. "Does your Ma know you're here? She'll be thrilled, I'm sure." He unlocked the door with his key card and let me go in first.

My eyes roved the modern furniture. Nothing had changed since we used the penthouse as a temporary hideout, and even though it wasn't my place, there was something comforting in that. "I think my Mom is busy with Virgil." I slitted my eyes at him and said, "Thanks, by the way, for letting him know when she got home."

Sam chuckled with a nervous staccato I knew so well. "Sorry, Mike. He called and I told him, because he'd heard some chatter and was worried about Maddie. That's all."

I nodded. It wasn't Sam's fault. He was biased because Virgil was his friend, almost as good a friend as Sam was to me, and he trusted him with my Mom. I still didn't, although he did kind of redeem himself after that case where we got back the relief agency's drugs from the pirates. I wasn't ready to trust him completely, however.

"I left some stuff for you in the spare bedroom," Sam said, steering me toward the door. "I'll wait out here for you. I've gotta find the sunscreen before Elsa turns into a lobster again." He grimaced. "She turns into a banshee when she's miserable."

I laughed under my breath, trying not to be disrespectful. Sam understood. I knew it by his smile before he ducked into the master bedroom. I turned and entered the spare room, stopping cold at the sight of the bed. If I imagined hard enough, I might see Fiona there with her come hither smile. I opened my eyes and berated myself for being so ridiculous. I approached the bed and found a pair of bright red, knee length swimming trunks with two thin white stripes down the sides. I was afraid I would find a flowery orange travesty waiting for me. I should have known better that Sam wouldn't do that to me, and I felt ashamed for my lack of trust.

"Hey, you look great," Sam praised as I emerged from the bedroom in the red swim trunks, a pair of olive sandals, and a flowered shirt that had more green vegetation on it than flowers. It was more Sam's style, but I had to admit when I looked in the mirror, it wasn't half bad on me. I also couldn't help but notice that these days Sam could wear my shirts and get away with it, so if I didn't like it, he could always take it.

"Thanks," I said.

"Here's your ice tea I promised you. Let's go down to the pool." Sam offered me a glass just like his, and I took it.

"You did a good job picking out this outfit," I said as I glanced at my reflection in the elevator door.

Sam made sure the suite was locked up before joining me in the elevator and we made a straight run to the first floor. Elsa was still waiting poolside, and the electricity in her smile at the sight of Sam approaching her brought up another twinge of jealousy. Now I knew I really needed Sam's help if I would ever make this work. I couldn't deny it any longer. I loved Fiona and if I couldn't win her back, I would be like a rudderless ship. I'd never find a place to settle down, and Miami certainly would never feel like home again without her.

Watching Sam's hands on Elsa's back as he rubbed the sunscreen into her skin felt like torture. She moaned and the smile was one of pure ecstasy that spurred him on to take his time. From where I sat I could almost feel the heat generated by the friction of the skin of his palms riding over her back. I'd never really witnessed Sam in action before, and it was almost embarrassing, like being a fly on the wall as two people had sex.

I turned away. I couldn't take anymore. It only reminded me of Fiona and how being with her was like searing lightning in a summer storm, and sometimes just as violent. My tailbone often reminded me of hitting the wooden floorboards in the loft. My ribs ached from a recent injury, but it could very well have been from Fiona leaping atop in her zeal to have me.

"You okay?"

My head whipped around and I saw Sam and Elsa staring at me. I gave them a toothy smile. "I'm fine. Why'd you ask?"

"It must be nice to be back in a place you know well," Elsa said. "I'm sure your Mom is happy." Her eyes, staring at me over her sunglasses, veered toward Sam. He was perched on the edge of her chaise lounge. She gave him a sweet smile as she said, "I know that Sam's excited you're back. After you called, he was almost as giddy as a little girl." She laughed.

"She's exaggerating," Sam deflected and leaned over to kiss her. "Aren't you, Baby?"

I knew better. To save him from further embarrassment, I said, "I'm going in. You with me, Sam?"

"Oh yeah. Elsa?" He stood and held out his hand to her.

"You just put sunscreen on me, Sammy. No way, I'm staying out here."

"Alright. Just be careful you don't stay on your stomach too long." He leaned over to kiss her one more time.

I wished that was me and Fiona. Wished it with every cell in my body.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Swimming laps was a good way to release tension, and the pool at Elsa's hotel was Olympic-sized, perfect for getting rid of a lot of emotional weight. I joined Sam in the pool and we struck up a race that ended with our hands touching the edge at almost the same time. We were in the deep end, hanging onto the concrete and tile, our breaths chugging as neither of us could stop grinning.

"You've been working out, Sam."

"Well, I'm older than you and you make it pretty hard to keep up with, so I figured I better start taking better care of myself." He glanced toward Elsa. She was on her back now. "Besides, Elsa won't let me even look at a donut or go a day without a run along the beach. First thing every morning we're out there."

I studied my friend for a minute or so, until my gaze got uncomfortable for him. He pushed off the wall and treaded water, eyeing me.

"You okay, Mike?"

"I'm fine. I'm just... I want to thank you."

"For what?" He stroked back to the side of the pool.

"For letting me come here. I really needed this right now," I said, a sadness working its way up to my chest, threatening to squeeze the breath from my lungs. "I already owe you so much, I don't feel like it's right to ask you to do this."

"Do what?" He blinked, total incomprehension on his face.

I was being obtuse, a lame ploy to buy time to get up the courage to ask. Forcing a deep breath into my stubborn lungs, I let it out. "I need your help to win Fiona back."

Sam's eyebrow rose. "You want me to help you with that? Not that I wouldn't, brother, but really? You think I can do something special that'll make Fi roll over and fall for your charms again?"

"I don't know." It was my turn to blink, and by the way he studied me I knew he could tell that at any moment I might lose control of my emotions. This wasn't like me. I was always so strong and in control, but Sam had seen me lose it in the past. It was a long time ago, but I'm sure if you asked Sam, he would say I should let loose more often. It would be good for me. I couldn't do it, not here, not now. Instead, I ducked underwater until I saw spots behind my closed lids. When I broke the surface, Sam was still there. That made me feel better.

"Are you done having your little two-year-old moment," he asked.

"What..."

"I know what you were doing, Mike. You can try to hide from the world, but I know you." He narrowed the distance until he was close enough to see my bloodshot eyes. "I know you're a ball of hurt right now, and if bringing Fiona back to you will help cure that, I'm all in. Just tell me what you want me to do."

"It's stupid," I protested. I was beginning to question the wisdom of my plan. She would probably think it was silly and all the work and expense would be for nothing.

As if he'd read my mind, Sam spoke in a soft, emotion-filled voice. "Fi still loves you. She never said it, but I know. Whatever you do will make an impact if it's from your heart, and she'll see your motivation is love. I have complete confidence in that."

"I wish I did." It hurt so much to reveal my fears, but I was beginning to see how liberating it was. Another weight had fallen off my back.

"So what do you want to do? What's your plan for Operation Woo Fiona?"

The corner of my mouth tipped up. Leave it to Sam to come up with something to lift my spirits. "Let's talk about it over dinner at Carlito's."

"Sounds like a good idea. Do you mind if Elsa comes along, or..." He trailed off and a small smile covered his hesitation. "I'll tell her we have something guy-related to discuss. She'll understand."

"Thanks." I pulled myself out of the pool and Sam followed.

Two women in skin-tight, almost non-existent bikinis walked past and admired both of us. I hadn't noticed until that moment that Sam was in even better shape than I suspected. What surprised me was that Sam never responded to the looks the women gave us. His eyes were on Elsa.

"I'll tell Elsa we're going to dinner. Maybe she can meet us a little later?"

"That would be fine."

Sam threw a towel over his shoulders and walked toward the chaise, his hands working through his wet hair to tame it. Elsa's eyes showed her desire for her man as he leaned over, said something to her, and plucked his sunglasses from the table between their chaises. She frowned but a kiss from his lips seemed to appease her.

"I'll see you guys at seven at Carlito's," she asked as Sam and I walked away.

He turned and agreed, "We'll see you then, Baby." With a wink, he joined me and we went upstairs to change.

Carlito's hadn't changed either in the time I was gone. That too was comforting. So many nights when I was alone I thought about how Miami would look. The skyline was always changing, so that wouldn't be shocking. The places I frequented, if those were altered, it might create a sense of unbalance in my psyche and I braced myself for that, although I knew you could never be completely prepared for what time did to people and places. Thankfully, our favorite watering hole appeared to be the same and our table was empty, so Sam and I sat there.

"Michael, welcome home," the server said as I tried to remember her name.

"Thanks, it's good to be back."

"I'll get you your usual fellas. Two beers, right?"

"You got it, Consuela," Sam said with a grin.

I let out a relieved breath and my eyes roamed, not landing on anything in particular. It was just good to be around familiar things again. I waited until we put our food order in before opening my mouth to speak.

"Okay, if I'm asking you for help, I guess I should tell you what I need." I sat forward in my chair, hands clasped before me on the table surface, the glass shrouded by my palms. "Stop me if you think this is dumb." I met Sam's eyes and said, "I want to replace Fiona's snow globes. Every one of them."

"And you think that's going to win her back?"

"Yeah, I know, I thought it was stupid," I said and flapped a dismissive hand in the air. Sam's reaction let me off the hook. Being the romantic guy he was, no doubt Sam would come up with something better.

"That's a hard task. You'll never replace them with exact duplicates. Do you even remember what they all looked like?"

My nervous smile drooped. He was taking this crazy idea seriously. "You really think this is a good idea?"

"Well, maybe not good, but it's the most heartfelt thing I've ever seen you try to do for Fiona, Mike. That, in my book, makes it a very worthy endeavor." He took a sip of his beer. "The trick is pulling it off, and I think I know how we can do that without it costing you and arm and a leg."

"Really? I have a ton of miles saved up. I could go to each place..."

"Yeah, but that'll take awhile. Unless you're planning on going around the world in eighty days or something." Sam chuckled. When he caught sight of my sober expression, he stopped and took another drag off his beer. "Okay, seriously, the way to make this work is if we start with Fi's passport."

"Her passport." I pounded my fist on the table. "Sam, how am I going to get a hold of that when she won't even talk to me?"

"No problem." Sam grinned. "I'll talk to my buddy who knows another mutual friend who can dig up the records for every place Fiona's been in the past twenty-five years, maybe more."

"I think twenty-five would be sufficient," I said with a grin. "Then we go to these places and find snow globes. I got it. If we split up..."

"Uh uh uh, not so fast there Phineas," Sam said as he held up a hand to stop me from letting my mouth run away from my brain. "That's where more of my buddies come in. You forget I know people in a lot of corners of the world. And they know other people in other places. I think we can get their help finding the snow globes, purchasing them, and shipping them here. We'll have all the globes sent to the hotel." He snapped his fingers and his smile turned into a grin. "And wherever I don't have buddies, we can borrow Elsa's plane and fly there ourselves."

I had a sudden feeling like I was trying to make an independent feature film and it suddenly developed a two-hundred million dollar blockbuster price tag. I shook my head and waved my hands. "No, Sam. This is getting way too hefty an expense."

"That's what friends are for, Mike. The most it's gonna cost is a few international calls, the price of a snow globe wherever it's found, and the shipping costs. It's not that bad!"

"Easy for you to say when you've got a rich woman's bank account at your disposal." I grimaced, mentally kicking myself for being so crass.

"I don't take advantage of Elsa for that. Maybe I did in the beginning, and when she was eager to help us, but after I came back, things changed." Sam's brow was furrowed and his eyes reflected a wounded soul. "The money and the stuff means nothing to me anymore. All I want is Elsa, and I'm working on that. I'll soon be free, and we can get married."

I felt like an even bigger jerk at that point. Ashamed, I dipped my head and focused on the label on my beer bottle. "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to imply that's what was important to you." I looked up at him again, apologies in my eyes. "I know you love her. She loves you. And I really wish you two the best. It's hard watching you two together, because it... it makes me jealous. I want with Fi what you two have."

"I understand. Now you know how I felt all those years without a woman who grounded me, and I'd see you and Fi play this insane dance around each other when it was as plain as the nose on my face that you were crazy about each other." The smile returned to his face as he said, "It'll be good to see you two together again. Just promise me one thing."

"Sure, if I can."

"No more mating dance, okay? Just go for it, tie the knot, and live happily ever after." He laughed. "Even if she does drive you bonkers now and then."

"You've got a deal." We clinked beer bottles and worked through the plan. By the time Elsa arrived we'd fleshed it out.

"Michael, do you have anywhere to stay tonight," Elsa asked after she arrived and joined us for drinks and dessert.

"I'm staying at a motel on the Agency's dime. The Shady Palms."

Sam gagged on his beer. "Oh, Mike, really? That place is a dump!"

Elsa gaped. "You need to go get your stuff out of there and stay with us while you're here."

"I can't."

"Why not?" She sat up straighter in her seat. "It's shameful that the government can't put you up in a nicer place. Even the Hilton down the street would be better." She wrinkled her nose, clearly upset about having to mention a competitor on the Beach. "No, you'll stay with us. You deserve it."

One thing I learned from Sam was that when Elsa, whom he used to call Big Momma, got in a demanding mood, one never refused her. "Okay."

"Good. Glad that's settled. You can stay tonight and go back to check out tomorrow."

I nodded. I knew that spark in her eye. Fiona carried it at times and I got burned too often from ignoring it. How we wound up with such women was beyond my reasoning. As I spent time with my Mom the year before on the run, I learned that she also had a lot of strength. I never knew that growing up. If I had, I might have felt better about leaving her and Nate alone with Dad and maybe I might have shown her more respect. All that time I thought she was weak to stay with him, when in fact she used all her will to keep us from the brunt of his wrath. God only knows if I would have lived to be seventeen to join the Army without her as a buffer.

"I think we better go, Sammy."

I felt a hand cover mine and I turned to see Elsa's hand covering mine, and her eyes boring into me. "Huh?"

"You look like you're wiped out, Michael. Let's get you to the hotel and you can crawl into bed and sleep." Sam held her chair as she rose, and he used a gentle touch to slip the light shawl around her shoulders. "Tomorrow you and Sam can do whatever it is you're planning to do." I stood, not sure what to say. We got two steps out of the restaurant when she said, "Whatever it is, it better not involve you two running off to Timbuktu."

I turned to her and smiled with assurance. "I don't think Fi's ever been there, so that's not on the list." I spun on my heel and walked ahead of Sam and Elsa. I could only imagine the sparks that flew at him from her eyes, and he would have fun telling her after they were alone what he and his friend were about to do. I could only hope that Elsa's sense of the romantic would sway her toward our cause.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Just getting the list of countries Fi visited could have been a mission ender. Sam tried to contact his buddy at Homeland Security, and to his surprise, she transferred to a position even more advantageous for our project. Ramona Clary now worked at the Bureau of Consular Affairs, and everything was going great until she entered Fiona's name into the computer. Sam had us on speaker phone because I didn't always believe that not all his buddies were guys, and not only did I hear the proof, I wanted to know first-hand what she had to say. I expected her reaction.

"Ohhhh," Ramona said, the air heavy with the syllable. "Sam, you didn't warn me that Ms. Glenanne was such a troublemaker. You know her passport is flagged right now? Her own country doesn't even want her back." Hearing the tension in Ramona's voice, my own courage wavered. Maybe I was asking too much of everyone and this was the stupidest idea I'd ever hatched.

Sam, however, wouldn't take no for an answer. "Yeah, yeah, Mona, I'm aware of that. We just want to know where she's been the past twenty years. Twenty-five if you can go back that far."

"I shouldn't be giving you this information. You know that."

He turned on the Sam Axe charm and said, "I do, sweetie, but this is really important." He glanced at me and I knew the big guns were coming out. "It's a matter of the heart. This list could help my friend win back the love of his life. Don't you want to be a part of that?"

"You're shameless, Sammy. Shameless. And I should hate you, but…." Her breath hissed over the line. "Do you realize where she's been? Bad, volatile places." Her fingers tapped on the keyboard for a few seconds and she groaned. "You're going to owe me big time for this one, buddy."

"The next time you're in Miami, your hotel stay is covered. Five-star, baby, and you'll be treated like a queen. Deal?"

She hesitated. Obviously Sam had told her about his status with Elsa. I suspected he was off the market, but it wasn't confirmed until that moment when I sensed the things that weren't being said. Sam was a committed man. I was proud of him.

"Deal," Ramona said. "I'm sending the file to you right now, and as soon as you confirm you got it, it's gone. I'm deleting and scrambling it a dozen times."

"Thanks, Mona babe," Sam said. His laptop beeped, signaling that a message arrived. He opened the e-mail and the file. "It's here. Thanks , sweetie! Now get back to work and keep us safe." He chuckled, and to my relief, she did too.

"You be careful, Sam. I don't want to have to hear that something happened to you because of this list."

"I'll be fine." Sam ended the call, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Alright, are you ready to start checking this thing?"

Sam printed out two copies and we pored over it, figuring out where Fiona most likely picked up snow globes. Some places, like Sudan, we crossed off the list. I had no idea how many she had, but I remembered she lost the Italy one from beaning a bounty hunter over the head. She saved my life at the expense of one of her favorites. I hadn't forgotten that, and I vowed that I would go get the replacement for that one myself.

"Okay," Sam said and sucked on the dregs in his beer bottle. It was warm, and he made a face. "I think we've narrowed it down to thirty places. Does this sound good to you?"

I stared at the list, thinking about the cost of obtaining globes from all those places. "We forgot one." At the bottom of the list, I scrawled, "Miami" and smiled.

"That one will be easy."

"I don't know if I can afford this," I said, my despair seeping into my voice.

"Hey, I've been doing some jobs while you were with the Agency, and I have a nice nest egg saved up. I'll be happy to help you."

"It's just a loan, right?"

"Buddy," Sam scoffed. "I don't believe in loaning money to friends, especially in desperate situations. Consider this a contribution to the Michael and Fiona Westen Development Fund."

I laughed, releasing all the negative feelings I was harboring. "Thanks, Sam. I really owe you."

"Let's just make this a success. That's all I want because brother, without Fi, you're a real cross to bear."

I knew he was teasing, but I was also aware that a grain of truth lurked within his remark. I was hard to live with. I felt incomplete, and all this time I tried burying myself in work and other distractions to hide and deny the truth. Now my eyes were opened, and I hoped that it wasn't too late to make things right with Fiona.

"What do we do now?"

"Now, we go get lunch," Sam replied and jumped from his seat. "Then we'll find a Miami snow globe, start small and easy here." He glanced at the list. "After that, I'll get busy on the phone calling in my other buddies' assistance. We're gonna make this work, Mike. Don't give up hope."

Every second I questioned myself and my tactics, thinking that this was such an insane plan. I should stop the madness before it got out of control. Then Sam would say something like that, or reaffirm that he believed in our mission, renewing my own faith.

To my surprise, I went back to the tourist trap where I found Fiona's original Miami snow globe and they still had the same one in stock. I had no illusions about the remainder of my quest being this easy. It only reinforced the fear that I was wasting my time and a lot of money on a collection I could never hope to reconstruct. And if I did, would Fiona be pleased that I made the effort and see how hard I tried? Would it tear at her heart and make her see how much she meant to me? So many uncertainties. I was used to such things, and like any other mission, I would attempt to cover as many ambiguities as I could and hope for the best with whatever was beyond my control. A lot of it I placed in Sam's hands, and his friends', which was more trust than I'd exercised in a long time, if ever.

Sam sent me down to the pool while he let his fingers do the walking through his contacts. I dove in and embraced the cool water enveloping me as I swam laps in an effort to calm my nerves. I lost track of time until a shadow fell over me as I reached for the edge and I looked up to find Sam standing there. He wore a satisfied smile on his face, the kind that said all was going according to plan. I swiped my hair back and asked, "How'd it go?"

"I've got everybody I know who works at a consulate somewhere in the world involved," Sam boasted. "If they can't help, they know someone who can." He crouched and added with a grin, "You'd be amazed at how many people are motivated by a mission born out of true love."

"Really?" I squinted at him, finding it hard to believe.

"Oh yeah, you hear about stuff like this all the time. Well, maybe you don't, but anybody who reads the news online knows. People eat this stuff up, and my friends are no different." He shifted a notebook under his left arm to his right and reached out his left hand to pull me out of the water. "Come on, Mike. We still have some work to do on our own."

I accepted a towel from a roaming attendant and followed Sam to a table. I rubbed my hair to soak up the water rolling down my back and dabbed myself dry as he gave me the report. "We've got Central and South America and the Middle East covered, Morocco, India, Japan… it's like a virtual Small World, Mikey." He chuckled. "The only places I didn't cover are Paris, Italy, and… Ireland." He looked up from his papers. "Sorry, Mike, my buddy in Europe is at a conference all week. It looks like we'll have to take care of those ourselves or wait until he gets back to his office."

"I wanted to get the Italy globe, so we might as well hop from Italy to France and on to Ireland." As if it was just that simple.

I could see the hesitancy in Sam's eyes as he asked, "Are you going to be okay with that, going to Fi's homeland?"

I nodded. "Yes, and maybe while I'm there I can talk to her brother Sean." I didn't dare think I could have a conversation with Fiona's mother. I knew how she felt about me. I gave Sam a weak smile. "Maybe he can put in a good word for me."

"Alrighty, then." Sam pushed himself to his feet and collected his papers. "I guess I'll go pack for Europe."

"You don't have to go along. They're just snow globes, Sam." I grimaced because with those words I'd just trivialized everything he'd done for me on my project.

"They're not just snow globes, Mike. You better go get packed." Sam turned on his heel and I strode to keep up. He veered off in the lobby. "I have to tell Elsa where we're going, see if I can get the jet."

I stopped Sam with a grip on his arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

He nodded. "I know. Go on, get ready to fly."

"I'll meet you in the lobby in a half hour?"

"That should be enough time for me to sweet talk Elsa and get my stuff together," Sam replied with a cocked grin. The tension between us melted.

As I headed for the elevator, I realized that I learned something from our exchange. Sam was an even bigger romantic than I thought, and he was taking this as serious as any of the other missions in which we worked together. By the time this was all over, I would owe him a lifetime of favors.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

On the way to the airport, Sam was already getting calls and text messages about snow globes. As each one came in with a photograph and a question asking if it was suitable, I watched over Sam's shoulder and studied them.

"Yes, that one is perfect. Tell them, Sam. I want that one."

He texted, "Affirmative."

This happened more than once, and by the time we were taxiing to the runway, eight snow globes were already approved and bought, and two were in the process of being shipped. We settled into our seats and I found myself releasing a sigh.

"You okay, brother?" Sam's eyes were intense as he stared at me from across the aisle.

"Yeah, Sam." My smile felt as if it was a mile wide. "This is like a dream. I just hope I don't wake up until I've gotten Fi's positive reaction."

Sam laughed. "I told you it would happen. You just had to have faith. In a day or two we'll have the ones from Italy, France, and Ireland, and we'll be on our way back to Miami. I bet there'll be a few packages waiting." He grinned. "Elsa said she'd sign for them and keep them in her office for you."

"Thanks. That's a load off my mind."

"You might want to take a nap, because the minute we get there it'll be morning and time to go shopping." He shook his head. "I never get excited about shopping, but this is something special."

Sam's high spirits rubbed off on me, and by the time Elsa's plane landed in Venice, I was revved up to find the perfect snow globe for Fiona. The one she lost I remembered so well, I had a picture of it burned into my mind. We scoured every tourist trap near the sights, but at each one I found the same designs. Nothing came close, and I was beginning to think I would never find it.

"Hey Mike," Sam said, breaking me away from my brooding as we walked along one of the canals. "That Italy globe, what did it look like? I mean, how big was it?"

"Bigger than anything we've seen." I held up my hands and created a circle. "Bigger than a softball and smaller than a melon. Why?"

"We just passed a store, and I think I saw something in the window. Come on." He turned and led the way to a small gift shop.

We entered and my eyes feasted on the wares inside. This wasn't the typical tourist spot. Shelves and cases were jammed with ornate antiques and brand new gifts. Neither of us knew Italian, so I wasn't sure how we would communicate with the older man behind the counter.

He smiled at us and asked, "Posso aiutare ti colleghi?"

"Siamo alla ricerca di un globo di neve," Sam replied, and I turned to see him reading the words off his cell phone.

I didn't know Italian, but it sounded pretty bad to my ears. The old man smiled. I'd seen that expression before, the amusement at the expense of foreigners who tried and failed to speak their native language. This was going to get interesting if the guy didn't know English.

He opened his mouth and said, "Si, I help you. Come to window, I have what you want."

Sam and I looked at each other and let out a deep breath of relief, and as we followed the old man shuffling to the window, I muttered, "You should have started by asking him if he spoke English."

"Why didn't you ask? You've had more international experience than I have," Sam rebutted.

"I don't usually need to know the language." I stopped and studied the globe that the Italian shopkeeper held in his hands. I think my eyes bugged, because if it wasn't the exact same one as Fiona had, it was pretty close. "It's perfect, Sam."

"Yes, it is." He stared at it with near reverence.

"How much," I asked the man.

"Fifty euros," he replied.

I talked him down to forty and he wrapped it in thick bubble wrap and packed it in a small sturdy box to make sure it survived the trip back to the States. My heart felt as if it would burst at my good fortune, and after a quick lunch at a nearby café, we hurried back to the airport to fly to France.

"You sure you don't want to stop and see a few sights, Sam?" I felt bad dragging him all that way for a snow globe and lunch.

"We're on a mission, Mikey. No time for anything else, you know that." The seriousness in his words and expression put me back on track. "Besides, didn't we just walk by everything worth seeing on this quickie trip?"

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention." For a moment it hit me that I'd been so intent on what I was looking for that I didn't concern myself with my surroundings. That was bad spy craft. Did my love and obsession to complete this mission blind me?

"It's okay, Mike. I've got your back." Indeed, he did. Sam always did, and I conveyed my thanks in a smile.

"Alright, can we get off to France as soon as the pilot files in a flight plan? And when we land in Paris…." I trailed off, a thought invading my brain with such earth-shattering surprise, I stopped in my tracks.

"Mike…."

I turned to him and said, "Let's skip Paris and go right to Ireland." Before Sam could protest, I said, "I'm taking a gamble that after Fi sees this collection and forgives me, I can promise her Paris and take her there myself. Then she can pick out her own snow globe."

Sam's laughter came from deep within as he threw his head back and he slapped me between the shoulders. "You're finally getting it, Mike! You're turning into a romantic!" His entire face glowed with excitement. "This is gonna be great. With any luck we could be on our way home tonight and then we just have to wait for all the globes to come rolling in."

The wheels touched down in the late afternoon, and we took a taxi into Dublin and spent a good amount of time searching the shops. We'd put on a lot of miles that day, and I was ready to sit down and grab a good ale or a whiskey. Then I saw it, the pub that was the setting where I asked Fiona to dance and almost got my head shot off. Someone had given it a new coat of paint around the window trim, but the bricks were as pock-marked from shelling and bullets as the day I walked into the dimly-lit pub and found the love of my life.

I thought Sam was with me when I crossed the street, but my eyes were so riveted to the place that I wasn't paying attention to anything else. For a spy, that's a dangerous thing to do. I walked right into traffic, and the blaring car horn brought me back to my senses. What was wrong with me? Sam echoed that thought as he prevented me from becoming a hood ornament.

"Mike, what are you thinking," Sam asked as he pulled me back onto the curb. His eyes bored into me. "You were like a zombie trying to cross the street."

"Sorry, Sam." I stared at the pub again, as if it had some kind of magnetic pull.

"That's the place, isn't it," he said with a soft, respectful tone. "Where you and Fi met."

"Yes." I turned my head to look at him and asked, "Can we go in there?" I swallowed back the lump in my throat and feared that Sam might think I was being a sentimental fool.

Instead, he gave me one of his crooked smiles and said, "Sure, why not, for old time's sake. Only this time, we'll wait for traffic to clear, okay?"

His smart aleck remark made me laugh. My life had been so serious for so long, it felt good to let go and do something as simple as laugh. Maybe when Fiona and I were back together, I could learn to relax more and enjoy life with her. I didn't do that enough before, and I would always regret it.

We crossed the street without incident and I led Sam into the dark pub. The lights were still low, the wood paneled walls sucking up the warm glow and shining a rich brown. The haze of cigarette smoke hung in the air, just as I remembered it. I took in the acrid odor even though I detested breathing in smoke. Being around my Mom long enough, I'd gotten used to it but I still hated it.

"Where were you when you met Fi," Sam asked in a voice for my ears only.

"Over there," I replied as my chin jutted out toward the table. It was occupied, unfortunately, and the two men met our gaze and glared at us.

"They don't look like they'll give up a table for nostalgia's sake," Sam muttered. He swore under his breath. "I don't believe it. Mike, Sean is here."

"Sean? Where?" My head swiveled around like a scope on a turret until I found him sitting near the back in a booth. "Well, isn't that interesting." I stepped deeper into the pub and passed the eyes staring at us, and I didn't stop until I stood in front of Sean's table.

Fiona's brother looked like the past few years weren't kind to him. His face appeared craggy and the wrinkles bracketing his downturned mouth were deeper than I remembered. He nursed a bottle of whiskey that sat half empty about a foot from his elbow, which was cocked and slamming another shot glass full of amber liquid into his open mouth. He emptied it, thumped the glass on the wooden table and glared at us.

He looked half surprised, half angry to see me. "Michael McBride, what devil brought ye in here, man?"

"Ye remember me," I said in full brogue. "Ye remember my friend, Chuck Finley?"

"Aye. Why don'tcha have a seat before people get too curious." He waved his hand and a server came with two more glasses. "Care to join me for a bit?"

"Aye," I responded with a smile that hid my unease. I sensed anger radiating off Sean, but until I knew the reason for it, I would be careful. I slipped into the booth on the opposite bench, and Sam slid in next to me.

"How you been, Sean? How's the injury," Sam asked.

"Tis just one of many," Sean replied and slammed down another drink. "What are ye fellas doin' here in Ireland?"

"We're on a mission," I answered in a near whisper as I leaned across the table. That must have been the wrong answer, because Sean scowled. "It's nothing to do with the Agency. Sean, I'm not with them anymore. I quit."

"Really?" He snorted. "I didn't think miracles happened anymore." He gave me a lopsided grin. "Well, good on ye. This deserves a toast. But first, if you ain't here on business, what's your mission?"

"We're looking for a snow globe," Sam answered. "Something that Fiona would like in order to replace the one she lost."

A snigger escaped from between Sean's lips. His eyes, already alight with drink, sparkled as the laughter bubbled out of him until he threw his head back and guffawed. We waited patiently for him to settle down and hoped that not too many people stared at him. If they did, hopefully they would only think he was overly drunk.

"You really came all this way to replace a snow globe," Sean said, shaking his head at the absurdity of it.

"I know it sounds crazy, but Sean, I'm just trying… trying to win over Fiona. You know that Fi's snow globe collection meant the world to her, and I'm trying to replace it as a gesture of my love." As I explained my plan, even I thought it sounded idiotic. I exhaled and said, "Just one more from her homeland, and then I'll be going back to Miami. Do you know where she is?"

"I called her just last week. She's still in Miami, and I talked her out of tryin' to come home." His eyes shifted around the room before returning to us. "O'Neal may be neutralized, but there are others here who would love to get their hands on her. People who would think nothing of grabbin' you and your friend as a ransom in exchange for Fiona."

"Sean, what are you saying," Sam's voice rasped. "You turned us in?"

"No, I didn't, but if I were you I'd get outta here now. Get on whatever plane brought ye here and scram before some unfriendly people get wind that you're in Dublin. Forget about the damn snow globe and worry more about your life." He glanced at Sam. "And your friend's life. It's not worth it."

"I think Sean's got a point, Mike. Let's go." Sam slid out of the booth and said, "Thanks for the drink, Sean."

"Are you really wantin' to get back with my sister?" Sean's eyes drilled into me.

"Yes. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. No more games. I love her, Sean." There was so much more I wanted to say, but I figured that either Sean didn't care, or he was too concerned about being seen with me.

"If you find her, you damn well better treat her right." Sean lifted a shaky finger and rattled it at me. "If you hurt her again, I'm comin' back to the States to kill ye. Understood?"

"Understood." I nodded. "Sam, let's go."

I was disappointed to leave the country without a keepsake for Fiona, but I trusted Sean, and if he said staying would put us in danger, I believed it. Sam and I exited the pub and strode down the street looking for a cab that could take us back to the airport. Sam's shoulder nudged mine, and he moved his head just enough to point out two suspicious looking characters on the sidewalk ahead of us.

"You know those guys, Mike?"

"No. Whoever they are, they're awfully interested in us," I said. Not making the same mistake as in Venice, I'd been watching the surroundings, looking for an exit strategy to appear. At that moment, we were moving into a small crowd on the sidewalk and out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something in a shop window. "Oh hey, look at that," I said and steered Sam toward a shop window. "A snow globe. Exactly what we were looking for!"

Before he could reply, I grabbed Sam's arm and pulled him into the shop, and with my other hand I scooped up the snow globe on the shelf near the window. Inside the liquid ball lay a sparkly shamrock covered with transparent flakes that caught the light and dazzled the eye. I set it on the counter before the clerk.

Sam muttered, "What are you doing?"

"Hopefully buying us some time if those guys didn't see us duck in here." To the clerk, I said, "We'll take this one."

"Aye, tis a beautiful piece," the woman said with a warm smile. "You'll not find another like it in the country."

That could be quite accurate, since it closely resembled the one Fiona lost. Maybe this was the last one. I watched her wrap it in paper and stuff it into a thick cardboard box after Sam told her it was going on an airplane, and I snuck a peek or two at the front window. Any second, the goon squad would be coming through the door to take us.

"Say, do you have a back way out of here," Sam asked.

"Aye, tis that way, Sir," she responded and pointed toward a curtain that covered a doorway.

Sam pressed some cash into her palm and I picked up the box. "Thanks," he said. "If anyone asks, tell them you didn't have any customers. Okay?"

"Certainly." The woman's brow furrowed in confusion, and she watched us slip through the curtained doorway. A short, narrow hall led us to an alley.

"Do you remember which way to the airport," I asked. I cradled the box in my arm against my side.

"Yeah, that way." Sam cocked his head toward the west and we hurried down the alley. "Maybe we can get some transportation, a taxi or we can hot-wire …." Sam didn't get to finish his sentence. A club came from a side alley and slammed into his midsection, forcing the air out of him in a whoosh. He went down clutching his stomach and curling into a ball.

Another club came at me and I ducked and wove around it. I dropped the box in the alley, raised my fists, and my legs were ready to strike out. Someone threw a bag over my head from behind before I could do anything. Arms picked me up and I tried squirming out of their grip, but it was useless. I was caught.

"Sam! Sam!"

"Ain't no use in yellin' out, Westen. Your friend is trapped, just like you. Might as well enjoy the ride, it's gonna be awhile before we get to where we're goin'."

I struggled until I felt nothing but air, soon followed by my body meeting uneven metal covered by a thin layer of carpeting. I was inside a trunk. Another body slammed into mine. I thought it was dark before with the bag, but when the trunk lid came down, it was like night inside the trunk.

"Sam, are you okay?" He didn't answer, and I was afraid of what they might have done to him. "Sam!"

He groaned. "I'm a little bruised but otherwise okay. Who do you think it is that wants you bad enough to kidnap you in broad daylight?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out soon enough."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

As we bumped along inside the trunk, I began to reassess my sanity. I had no one to blame but myself for this. Sam tried to warn me, questioning my desire to return to Ireland, so he wasn't at fault. It was all my decision, and now we might die because of my gross stupidity. How could I have thrown away every instinct and guard I'd put up over the years with the Agency and on my own? They say love is blind, but no one ever said it was a life-threatening blindness. Ever since I'd become obsessed with winning Fiona's love, I wasn't myself. Or maybe, for the first time in my life, I was risking everything for the only thing that mattered.

"Ahhh," Sam cried out as we went over a particularly bad hump.

My head hit the roof of the trunk and I saw stars in the darkness. It seemed as if we'd been on this road for an eternity, and I wondered how long it would take for someone to report us missing. Elsa was the only one who knew we'd gone on this illogical junket, and the pilot knew we had been in Dublin, but after that our trail would have gone cold. A groan came from deep inside, releasing my self-loathing. I hadn't made a mistake this terrible since I was young and in the military.

"Mike," Sam spoke my name.

"Yeah, Sam."

The car dropped into a pothole and we both grumbled at the battering of our bodies in the confined space.

Sam asked, "Did they tie you up?"

That was an odd question. It hadn't dawned on me until now that, other than a bag over my head, our kidnappers did nothing to secure me. I pulled the burlap off my head and answered. "No, they didn't. Did they tie you?"

"No. What's going on? What kind of hostage taker grabs a couple guys without disabling them? Although, I gotta say, that two by four to the stomach was pretty immobilizing for awhile." Sam shifted closer to the back of the car. "Maybe if we can pop out one of these tail lights, and…."

The car came to an abrupt stop, causing my body to slam into the trunk wall. "Owww."

"You alright?"

"Yeah," I answered, once I got my breath back. "I wonder where we are."

Without warning, the trunk lid opened and the late afternoon sun blinded us and left our captors in shadow. Hands reached for Sam and pulled him out to stand on his feet, and others grabbed me and literally tossed me out of the trunk. I stumbled and caught my footing as I looked around, and I gaped at the beautiful countryside. I expected something uglier, like a run-down warehouse in the city, but we were far from Dublin.

The fields were emerald green and the stone walls white with flecks of granite sparkling in the sun. The house was simple, a two-story, made of stone with a wooden shingle roof. It was old. In the distance stood a small garage or a barn, I couldn't tell which. Our captors, who hid their eyes behind sunglasses and wore serious expressions on their faces didn't give us much time to get our bearings. The one with the club herded Sam and me toward the open front door. Inside, someone turned on a lamp in the living area. I found myself being forced to sit in a wingback chair, and Sam dropped into its mate with a small table between us.

The three men standing before us removed their glasses, but I didn't recognize them. I squinted, studying their faces in the light and I realized that they reminded me of someone. Fiona. When Sean came around the chairs and stood between us and the others, I heard Sam gasp.

"Sean, what's the meaning of this," Sam asked.

"I'm savin' ye from yer stupidity," Sean replied, his fists on his hips, glaring at us. "Michael, what made ye think ye could come back here and prance 'round town without anyone identifying ye?"

"I bear some of the responsibility for that," Sam piped up, and I whipped my head around to stare at him. He ignored the silent protest I tried to throw at him and continued, "Yeah, I'm the one who encouraged him to go on this chase. I let my desire to see him and Fi happy… together… rule over good sense."

He took the words right out of my mouth, only not quite the way I would have said it. "He's right, except for one thing." I turned to Sean. "It was me. I wasn't thinking about the risk."

"Damn right ye weren't. I've known fellas who went all crazy for my sister before, but you Michael Westen, I never would have thought it possible." Sean's words held an edge. He came closer and his eyes were like ice.

"Thanks for the rescue," Sam said. "But did you guys really have to hit us that hard and stuff us into a trunk?" He rubbed his stomach where he'd been hit, his fingers probing for broken ribs.

"We thought the only way to help ye was ta scare ya." Sean raised an eyebrow. "It worked, didn't it?"

Sam didn't answer. I think he was still on the fence between anger and forgiveness. In the meantime, Sean backed off and paced in front of me. "If Fiona heard I coulda saved ye and didn't, especially after what happened in Miami, well, I'd never hear the end of it. Ye know I love me sister, and I'd do anything fer her."

"Of course." I nodded. "I feel the same way."

"I wasn't so sure about Michael McBride, but when ye protected me and Fiona, I knew ye were a good man. A smart man." A hint of a smile crossed his lips. "I was even hopin' ye might become part of the family some day. Then ye broke me sister's heart, ye did, and I wanted to track ye down and kill ye."

"So, is that what this is about?" I stared him down. "You took us so you could have your revenge?"

"No, man! Are ye daft?" Sean spun away and mumbled under his breath before coming back to face us. "I was tryin' to protect ye from yerselves! Those people I was talkin' about were onto ye, and if we hadn't picked ye up, they woulda." He paced back and forth, running a hand through his hair, and I wasn't sure if he was trying to cool his anger or build it up. He returned to us and stuck his face into my personal space. "I shoulda let 'em take ye, as payback and punishment for your stupid, foolhardy acts."

"Gee, Sean, we didn't know you cared," Sam cracked.

"The only thing I care about is my sister." Sean turned his wrath on Sam. "Your friend hurt Fiona deeply. She thought Michael was joinin' the CIA again 'cause that's what he wanted."

Anger bubbled up in me, and I blurted, "That's not what happened. I had no choice. If I didn't join them, Fiona would have gone back to jail, along with Sam, Jesse, and my Mom. Would you have wanted that?" I was so tired of having to try to justify my decision to a Glenanne. I was beginning to think that maybe they all had something besides brains tucked in between their ears, because it was so simple, yet neither Fiona nor Sean seemed to understand. "I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, Sean. Either way, people were going to be unhappy."

He turned back to me. "Now I'm not sure what to think other than that ye might be damaged in the head to come back here when ye knew the risk."

"Sean." Sam spoke with a soft, calm voice. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Course I have," he barked at Sam and returned his gaze to me.

"Okay then, have you ever loved a woman so much that you would do anything, even endanger your life for her?" He paused and let the thought sit for a moment. Sean wasn't swayed by his tactic, so he continued, "So in love that you didn't care what happened to yourself as long as the result was making her happy? Giving her what she wanted most from you?"

"All she wants is you, Michael. God knows why, but it's true," Sean replied. "Won't do Fiona much good if yer dead."

"Yes, but have you ever been almost sick and crazy over the love of that woman and become so obsessed with wanting that again that you did something totally irrational just to get her attention?" Sam leaned forward as he spoke.

I could envision the wheels spinning in Sean's head. His brow creased and his eyes grew sad, and I imagined that he had loved and lost and he could relate. His resolve was slipping, and I cheered Sam from deep inside.

Finally, Sean dropped onto the ottoman and let out a breath. "So, tell me about this crazy plan of yours. What are ye doin'?"

I felt as if a weight had fallen off my back, and I glanced at Sam, neither of us able to believe this was happening to us. I composed myself and told Sean about my quest. He listened, but I had the feeling that at any moment he would either continue his tirade or start laughing. Fiona's brothers sat on a couch opposite us, and one jumped up to go to the kitchen. I wondered where the rest of the family was, her Mum and Dad.

With hands on his knees, Sean stared at me. I finished my explanation and his head moved from side to side in a slow shake. "I canna believe it. Ye've gone completely 'round the bend, all for my sister."

"Maybe I have. But I don't regret it. I just wish I could take back all the time I wasted pursuing something that in the end wasn't worth it when I lost Fiona." I let out a shuddering breath. "Sean, I love her. Lately, it seems like I've told everyone but her because I don't know where she is. If you know where Fiona is, please tell me." If I said anymore, I would be bordering on a desperate, blubbering fool, but my pride wasn't that broken yet so I shut up and watched the emotions play over Sean's face.

"I still think yer a crazy man, but Fiona is a woman who can make her own decisions." He turned away before speaking again. "I know where she is. She's been almost right under yer nose the entire time ye were in Miami."

"Really? Where is she," I asked, trying not to sound desperate.

"She's at the St. Michel," Sean replied with a smirk. "I guess Fiona isn't exactly smart either when it comes to you."

"Thanks, Sean. You won't be sorry that you helped us," I said as I pushed out of the chair with slow, cautious movements. "Is it okay for us to go now?"

"Aw, Mike, the snow globe," Sam said. "It's gone."

"Patrick picked it up," Sean said and he turned away and held up the box between us. "I think it even survived."

I examined the container. It wasn't wet, which was a good sign. I took the package, pulled on the packing tape and the flaps opened, and I dug inside with careful movements. I didn't want to cut my fingers on broken glass. I ran up against a cool, smooth surface. "It's not broken." I smiled. "Thanks, Sean."

"I still think your plan is pretty daft, but if Fiona takes you back I suppose it was worth it," Sean said, his tone resigned. "Ye know I'm not keen on havin' a crazy brother-in-law."

I laughed. "Let's take it one step at a time. I have to convince her to take me back first. Then we'll probably have to work at rebuilding from the ground up, and maybe then she'll say yes if I ask her to marry me."

Sean nodded. He understood my caution because he knew Fiona. It would not be easy to sway her, and if my extreme measures didn't work, I could just give up the fight because nothing would work. I sealed the box and stepped to the door, but Sean stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"Where ye goin'?"

"Back to the airport. If you're worried about us, maybe you can give us a ride?"

"I suppose after all the trouble we went through to protect ye, it wouldn't do to let ye go back to town and risk gettin' picked up." He took the car keys from Patrick and led us outside.

The sun was going down over the hills, and by the time we arrived in Dublin we gave a silent thanks for the darkness to mask us. Still, Sam and I stayed away from the car windows as Sean bumped the little sedan down the streets toward the airport. Our plane waited, and the pilot was glad to see us.

"Mr. Axe, Mr. Westen," the pilot greeted us. "You didn't say when you would be back, and some men came here looking for you, so I started to worry about you."

"Well, it took a little longer than we expected," Sam explained, not wanting to give away what really happened to us. "Wait a second. Who was looking for us?"

"I don't know, Sir. They wouldn't say."

As if in answer, gunfire sliced through the darkness, followed by shouting. I turned and saw a car approaching us at a high rate of speed, and I pushed Sam toward the airplane entrance. The pilot was already on his way to the cockpit. Sean returned fire, covering for us.

"Sean, you better get out of here," I yelled at him.

"Not on yer life, Michael! I owe my sister this. Now go on, and I don't wanna see ye again until there's good news." He cocked a smile at me, nodded, and returned to firing at the unknown enemies. "Go on!"

The engines started on the jet, and I ran up the steps. The co-pilot waited for me to pass and he closed the door as bullets pinged off the fuselage. I hoped that none of them penetrated it, or we would have trouble in the air. My lungs chugging, I crashed into the seat opposite Sam, buckled up, and didn't calm down until our plane was climbing into the sky. In my lap, I cradled the precious snow globe that Sam and I risked our lives to get. If I'd been thinking rationally, this never would have happened. We could have waited until Sam's connection got back to work and had someone find a snow globe for us.

"I'm sorry, Sam."

"For what?"

I could tell by the look on his face that he knew what I meant, but he was playing dumb. I answered, "For getting you into this. It was a stupid idea. I don't know why I put us in so much danger for this." I picked up the box and set it back down in my lap when a sharp pain sliced through my arm. I grimaced and grabbed my right arm. The box teetered in my lap, and before I could catch it, Sam plucked it up and set it on the seat next to him.

"What happened, Mike?" We hadn't gotten to cruising altitude yet, but Sam unbuckled his seat belt and crossed the aisle. He knelt on the seat in the row ahead and studied my arm. "Jeez, you're bleeding. You must have gotten shot by one of those goons. And you didn't feel it?" He reached for my bloody sleeve and pulled away the fabric. The bullet had torn a narrow strip through the weave, and he was able to separate it enough to take a look. "I can't see much with the blood. Hang on, I'll be right back."

Sam returned with some medical supplies. By the time the plane leveled off he determined that the bullet only grazed me, but it took a good chunk of flesh with it. He sterilized the wound and stitched me up, shaking his head now and then at the miracle. "You could have had it much worse, Mike. A little more center, and you wouldn't be using this arm. That is, if an artery didn't get ripped and bleed you out." He looked at me. "I hope you learned something from this whole thing."

"I have. I'm never going off half-cocked again. Next time I get a hair-brained scheme like this, I'm thinking it through more."

Sam laughed. "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but it works." He knew better than to leave me hanging, so he said, "The point of all this is to stop and think about what you're doing to the people you love. I know you love your work and all, but you have to think about how it affects Fi, your Ma, and your friends." His eyes misted, and he blinked to clear them. "You know we all love you, Mikey. What you've been through the past seven years has put us all through hell. It's time to stop the madness."

"I know." I blinked in an attempt to hold back the emotions I was feeling. The pain of regret was almost too much to bear. The guilt of having dragged everyone through the sludge of my life overwhelmed me. "I promise, Sam, that the spy stuff is over, but I might need some help learning how to live and adapt as a civilian."

"I'll do what I can," Sam said as he finished bandaging my arm. "However, I think you and Fi should be working that out together."

"Maybe." I let out a long, weary sigh. "I just hope that after all this, she'll agree to come back and give it another try with her and me." Emotion clogged my throat and I swallowed it, holding it at bay for a few more moments. "If all this was in vain..."

"Don't worry, Brother. My involvement in this mission isn't over. I'll do what I can to help."

"Thanks, Sam." My eyes met his as I said, "I've never had a friend as good as you."

Sam broke the contact and flapped a dismissive hand. "It's just the way I am. You haven't always made it easy, of course," he snickered. "But at the end of the day it feels good knowing I made a difference."

I nodded in understanding. I knew that feeling, and I had never experienced it so fully as when we were working with Fiona as a team helping people. I nestled into the seat and drifted off to sleep, making plans in my head and dreaming of the day when we would all do it again. No more Agency or worrying about who burned me. I should have just accepted it and moved on. Look how much grief it caused everyone. That was over now, and all I could see was a sunny future ahead of us. Me and Fiona, settling into a home, with custom shelves Sam and I made together to display her new snow globes. I heard a sound, like a childish laugh, and my eyes flew open. I wasn't ready to explore that option, if ever.

Like I said before, one step at a time. I needed to win back Fiona's heart before anything else happened, and I figured out just the right way to do it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

We arrived in the States and returned to the hotel, where we were surprised to find a few snow globes waiting. We'd been gone only a couple of days, but they came in express mail and overnight packages. Sam was giddy like a kid at Christmas, watching as I opened the packages and set the globes on a shelf in Elsa's office.

"They're beautiful, Michael," Elsa breathed from behind my right shoulder.

The three of us stood in place and gazed at them for awhile. "They are. If Fiona doesn't like them, all this work will have been for nothing."

"Don't worry, Mike. She'll love 'em." Sam clamped a hand on my shoulder.

"But will she love me," I muttered. I thought I'd said it soft enough not to be heard, but Sam gave me a look.

"Come on, we've got phase two of Operation Woo Fiona to take care of." He turned me away from the shelf and I followed him to the door. "See you later, Baby."

"See you two later. Good luck, Michael." I met her warm smile with a shaky one. I'd always been so confident no matter the circumstance, but this time I felt as scared as a greenhorn on his first day of boot camp. "Sam, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Mike, you are not bailing on this now." Sam stopped beside the driver's side door of the pickup truck he borrowed from his buddy. "Let's go, we've got a lot of work to do if you wanna get the new loft in shape for Fi."

"What if all of this blows up in my face?"

Without missing a beat, he replied, "At least you'll have a decent place to live and you won't have to move in with your Ma."

"You're right." I hopped into the passenger seat, eager to be off on our mission. Just the idea of living with my Ma and my nephew Charlie was incentive enough to get the loft fixed up. Not that I didn't love either of them. I wasn't prepared for that kind of mixed family, and besides, it would put a crimp in my plans concerning Fiona. The loft wasn't the same one we burned up with all of our things, but it was nearby, with about the same square footage, and in need of as much TLC as the old place.

My Ma came around a few days into the project to see how things were going, and no doubt to nag me again about Fiona. She wasn't in the door thirty seconds before saying, "Fiona is still in Miami, but she's talking about branching out, Michael. She might move to Texas. Or maybe it was California. I can't remember. I just knew it was far away. Too far away from family." She gave me that look, the one that said I better get my butt in gear and do something.

"Ma, Sam and I are working as fast as we can. We're almost done."

"I hope you're going to furnish the place better than the old loft. Cast-off furnishings are not how a woman wants to live." She glanced around and I could tell she approved of the warm colors that Sam and I painted on the walls, and the honey gold that we stained the floor to bring out the natural grain.

Sam was in the kitchen putting down tile, whistling to a song on the radio and ignoring the mostly one-sided conversation. Smart guy. I showed Ma the rest of the place and she nodded her head, making comments now and then. I got the idea. "Mom, Sam and I are almost done, and tomorrow we're going to get a couple pieces of furniture. I don't want to buy a lot right away, because I want Fi to feel free to decorate however she likes." I paused and stared at a receipt I pulled from my pocket, the numbers distracting me for a moment. "I'm most concerned about getting that shelving unit made."

"Are all the snow globes here," she asked. I was surprised and pleased to see the concern in her eyes.

"Just about. I have a couple more coming and then everything will be ready."

A knock sounded on the door and I went to answer it. The guy in the brown uniform held two small packages under one arm and a small machine in the other. "You Michael Westen?"

Usually with that tone, answering in the affirmative meant I was in trouble. I nodded, hoping that those boxes held snow globes and nothing lethal. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"Sign, please." He held out the machine. "You know you're a hard man to find. I thought I was on a wild goose chase when the lady at the hotel told me to deliver these here, 'cause this sure doesn't look like a place anyone would want to live."

"Gee, thanks." I signed for the packages.

"Good luck, buddy." He studied the loft, what he could see from the open door. "This isn't the best neighborhood."

"It's okay, I can handle it." I nodded, took the boxes, and the driver hurried down the stairs.

I brought the boxes into the kitchen which, like in the old loft, was open to the rest of the place. The only rooms with walls were the bathroom at the back, and a bedroom that that Sam and I built with an office above it.

Sam got off his knees and closed in to watch me open the boxes. "Wow, Singapore and Tokyo. Those are the last two, aren't they?"

"I think so." I slit the top, opened the flaps, and took out the snow globe from Singapore. The afternoon sun glinted off the gold on the base and on the temple building inside. I whistled. "Fi's gonna love this. I'm pretty sure it's better than the one she brought back." I turned my head and spoke to Sam over my shoulder. "Do you know how much these cost? What am I going to owe these people?"

"Don't worry about it, Mike. These are yours for the cost of a few favors I earned or now owe a few people."

My throat clenched. "I'll do what I can to help you with those. I promise."

He smiled and patted my shoulder. "I know you will, Mike. Better put those in the crate with the others, and this afternoon we'll get to work on that shelf."

The shelving unit was a real labor of love, and I was amazed at how much work and care Sam put into helping me complete it. It morphed from a simple shelving unit to a multi-tiered series of boxes that formed a wall between the living and dining areas. Sam created some fancy edging for the rough frames where each globe would sit, and while he attached them to the finished piece in preparation for the stain, I ran to the store to get another can. I returned and found Sam taking a break with a beer and an expression of amusement on his face. He wanted to tell me something, and he could barely contain himself.

"Fi was here while you were gone," Sam reported the second the door slammed shut behind me.

"Fi... she was here?" I almost dropped the sack containing a quart of stain on my foot. The bag slipped and I managed to catch it before it fell and bruised my toes. "How did she know where I was?"

"Your Ma told her that you're settling in. Mike, didn't you tell Maddie this was supposed to be a surprise and that she shouldn't talk about it?" Sam looked up from sweeping away some sawdust from one shelf with a soft cloth. "Fi saw everything but the snow globes. Thank God we put those in the closet to keep them from getting damaged."

I muttered a curse under my breath and set the can of stain on the newspaper Sam spread over the new kitchen bar countertop. "We'll have to work harder to get this done. I can't even imagine what must have been going through her head."

"Well, I know she was drooling over this shelving unit, talking about all the wonderful things she could put into it," Sam said with a growing smile and a chuckle. "It wasn't easy keeping my mouth shut, Mikey."

"So she's expecting to move in with me?" My eyes were wide with hope. Perhaps Fiona had forgiven me, and we could pick up where we left off. It seemed too easy.

"Well, not really. She just asked if I could make something like this for her." Sam stood near the shelving unit with his beer in his hand and a serious expression on his face. "She's thinking of something for her place, but Mike, don't lose hope. I mean, why else would she come around here? She sure wasn't expecting to pick up any decorating tips."

"Think we can have this ready by tomorrow night?" I asked as I pried the top off the stain.

"Oh yeah." Sam smiled and picked up a brush, eager to get to work.

The next day I finished moving my meager belongings into the new loft and spent hours arranging and rearranging things. I lingered over the snow globes, running a cloth over each one to remove the fingerprints before I placed it on a shelf. When the sun streamed through the open doors leading to the balcony, the orbs sparkled and lit up like fireballs. I eyed each one from the living area, taking note of how some created rainbows along the floor and on the simple, tan, overstuffed couch that Sam and I found during one of our trips to the home improvement store. I pictured blood red embroidered pillows and a matching throw on the back, but whatever Fi wanted was fine with me. I just wanted her home, with me, forever.

That thought brought a lump to my throat. I couldn't let myself imagine it for fear of her dashing my expectations. I used to be so good at considering every angle and possible scenario to a situation, but when it came to Fiona rejecting me, that was one variation I couldn't picture in my mind. What would I do? I shook my head, unable to see anything but blackness when I closed my eyes and attempted to picture it. Hopefully, I wouldn't need to have a plan and that Fiona would be as charmed by me and my attempt to win her back as I hoped. I shuffled the globes around a little more until it was almost time for me to get ready for our date.

Sam arranged everything and gave me the details of when and where to be. We would start at Carlito's. I wasn't sure I liked the public venue, but I had to hand it to Sam and his tactics. If Fiona was still angry with me, she would keep her temper in check at our favorite watering hole with so many strangers around us. I could plead my case with a cool head, and if I played this right, perhaps she would be more agreeable to talking about our future when we would finally be alone.

I arrived first and sat at our table. The appointed time came and went, and I debated whether to order drinks or not. I certainly could have used one to calm my nerves, but I wanted to be sharp for when she did come. I smirked at my positive attitude, beginning to think that of all the crazy things I'd done, this topped all of them. Then I looked up and saw a vision in red flowing down the sidewalk toward me. Her dark caramel hair flitting in the breeze took my breath away until I thought I might fall out of my chair. Instead, I sucked in a deep breath and stood. When she passed under the awning and continued moving toward me, I smiled and moved forward to meet her. Surely she could hear my heart beating like a wild thing in my chest, which would explain the hesitant expression on her face.

"Fi. It's so… so good to see you." I stammered over the words like a geek kid taking a beauty queen to the prom. Afraid she would shy away, I raised my arms to her shoulder height, waiting for a signal to proceed or just reach for her hand and shake it like an acquaintance.

"Michael, it's… it's good to see you, too." She swallowed, and her nervousness gave me a sense of hope.

I took a step forward, but I sensed a bubble around her, so I slipped a hand behind her shoulder and escorted her to the table, when I would have preferred to embrace her. I held back a gasp when I saw a couple sitting there. I grinned and said, "Excuse me, but this table is already taken."

"It was empty when we got here," the guy replied, looking up at me with a challenge in his eyes.

"Michael, it's just a table." Fiona pulled on my arm to lead me away.

"It's our table, Fi." I turned back to the man and stared him down. I couldn't help the low threat in my voice as I spoke, as if that table was the key to success or failure. "I was waiting for my… Fiona, and I was meeting her when you snuck in and took our table."

"Michael, please."

"No, Fi. This has always been our table," I protested. My voice shook, and I realized that if I pushed this more, I might lose control of my emotions. I'd done too much of that over the past year, and I didn't want to think about the lines I'd crossed along the way. The ease at which those baser instincts came up to the surface scared me. I needed Fiona now more than ever to keep me from losing myself completely.

"It's okay," the man's companion, a woman, said. I couldn't tell you if she was beautiful or ugly, because I had fallen too deep into fight mode to notice. "We'll move. I can see this means a lot to you two."

She smiled before giving her date a scathing look. He glared at me and stood, and before I knew it the couple moved on to another empty table. I seated Fiona in the chair the woman vacated and I sat in the guy's seat across from her. It was then that I noticed Sam and Elsa sitting in the shadows, their eyes on me and looking worried. I smiled, nodded, and got the server's attention so we could order.

I didn't know where to begin, so I said, "I'm sorry, Fi." Her eyes grew wide and she stared at me, expecting an explanation. "I'm sorry for all the hurt and pain I've caused you over the years. A man who loves a woman doesn't do that to her, and I did, I screwed up in a big way." As I poured out my heart I leaned forward and kept my eyes locked on hers. In them I saw the memories and the emotions, and it cut like a knife but I deserved it. "I loved you, and I still love you. I know it's not easy to believe when it appears that everything I did, I did for myself."

She shook her head. "I understand now why you went back to the CIA. It didn't make it any more palatable, but… I know what it's like to be in a no-win situation. Still, there were ways you could have avoided getting to that point. I'm not so sure I can forgive that."

"I've made mistakes. I know that. You can try to punish me for the rest of my life, but wouldn't it feel better to just take me back and love me?" I was being bold and reckless, but when it came to Fi's love, there was nothing else I could do.

"I don't know if I love you anymore," she answered, the words melting my resolve like an acid bath on bare skin.

"You don't mean that," I blurted a little too loud. The couple at the next table gave me a strange look. I shrank back against my seat, grabbed my drink, and downed it in one gulp. As I signaled for a refill, Fi's eyes looked on me with pity.

"Michael, I've never known you to drown your feelings in alcohol."

"I'm not." The denial came too fast. Taking a breath and letting it out in a slow, muted exhale, I leaned forward again and rested my elbows on the table. "Fi, I don't know what you heard about me in the Dominican Republic..."

"So that's where you've been all this time." The clipped words told me she was still angry with me.

"I shouldn't have even told you that, but I did." I reached across the table and touched her hand. She pulled it away and rested it in her lap. I frowned and retreated. The drink arrived and I stared at it, her words still ringing in my ears. Pushing it aside, I continued. "Fi, it's all over. I'm done with the Agency. I quit, and do you know the thanks I got? They put me up in a crappy motel on a mission that turned out to be nothing. As soon as I figured it out I made a report and contacted Sam."

"Your Mother said you've been living at Elsa's hotel. Why you couldn't stay with her…."

"I've already put her through too much," I answered.

"I have to say I'm surprised you didn't contact me sooner, but then again, I suppose you were feeling too guilty." A small smile played on her lips. "Or did you finally find yourself a different female distraction?"

"You were never a distraction, I mean, not an intentional one but a good one nonetheless." I smiled. "And no, there's no one on this planet I want to spend my golden retirement years with… other than you."

Fiona turned her head, unable to look at me. Maybe that was a good sign, because in my years of interrogation I found that people who didn't want to face the truth looked away in haste. Eventually they accepted the inevitable and turned back, so I waited until she would fold. With Fi, however, it wasn't easy.

Our meals arrived but I wasn't very hungry. I only wanted her, and as long as she remained silent, I would never be satisfied. She picked at her food, taking a few bites, but she was preoccupied. I could always tell by her fidgeting and flickering glances.

"Do you want to get out of here," I asked.

She dropped her fork on her plate. "Yes. I feel like…."

"Like what?" If I leaned any closer, my new suit would be drenched in my pepper steak and her alfredo sauce.

"I feel like everyone is watching us, and I don't like it." She balled up her napkin and threw it onto the table while I got the check.

I'd dreamed of walking beside her along the beach. We were across the street from it, and she might as well have been over there rather than three feet away. We walked toward the limo. Somehow, I'd convinced her to go with me to the hotel, but I had other plans. I hoped she wouldn't hold it against me for misleading her.

The driver smiled when he saw us and said, "Good evening Mr. Westen, Ms. Glenanne." He opened the door and offered Fiona a hand getting inside.

"Michael, where are we going?"

"You wanted some privacy, and I'm giving you that." She hesitated, but I took it as a good sign when she disappeared into the back of the vehicle. I joined her.

"Where are we going?" She sat on one end of the back seat, arms crossed, eying me.

"I thought you might feel more comfortable talking at the new loft." I paused, waiting for a reaction. She shrugged. "Sam told me you came by the other day."

"Yes. Your Mum told me where you were living and I was curious. I wanted to see if you were putting down roots or just using it as a touch base in between missions."

"And, what did you think?"

"If you're planning on staying awhile, you really need more furnishings, Michael. Really!"

I laughed, some of the tension easing out of me. "I hoped that maybe you could help me with that. Sam and I found a couch, but it really needs your touch."

"Ah, so you want me for your interior decorator. How nice." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and I couldn't help admiring how long it had gotten. I wanted to run a hand through it, but I knew that would be impossible until she learned to trust me again. She startled me out of admiring her by saying, "It's going to cost you."

"I knew that." I turned to Fiona and found her staring at me. "And I intend to pay whatever price you ask."

Fiona gaped at me. It wasn't very often that I caught her off guard, but when it happened, I felt like I'd scored a small victory. The limo pulled up to the curb in front of the loft because the drive was too narrow for the driver to pull in and drop us off. It gave Fiona a better look at my new home, which wasn't much on first glance, but the soft glow coming from the windows made it inviting, or so I hoped. Elsa had brought over some curtains that afternoon and hung them with Sam's help, and they gave the starkness of the building a contrasting sense of home.

"Looks like you've got a start," Fiona said. Her arms were crossed again and she leaned her weight on one heel. "Are you sure you need help decorating?"

"Positive. I'm lost without you." I meant that in more ways than one, and by the deer in the headlights look she gave me under the street light, I knew she understood. I offered a smile and my arm and said, "Come on, let me show you what I have already in place."

I refused to let her rejection of my chivalrous offer deter me. My hope still burned like the candles that Sam and Elsa left under hurricane shades on a tray on the counter in the kitchen. I unlocked the door and let her inside, locked it behind me, and followed her to where she stood in the living area. The warm glow couldn't banish the shadows in the rafters, but it lent a beautiful tint to her face as she took in everything. I wished she would get closer to the snow globe cabinet, but she stayed where she was.

"As you can see, the couch is it. I have a bed in the bedroom, but nothing else. Would you care to see?" I jerked my thumb toward the open door to the right.

"Oh, I see what this is really about. You wanted to get me into bed," Fiona exclaimed as her palm connected with my cheek, which stung from the impact.

I staggered back and she kicked me, sending me into the wall. I was ready for the next swing and stopped her fist in mid-air, which set off something in her and her fury increased. I knew how Fi operated. She was angry and had every right to be, but she also used violence as foreplay. For a moment I considered that maybe she was in the middle of her mating dance. That didn't make sense. Not that Fiona often did. She was confusing enough when I was on her good side. She attempted a roundhouse kick, but I got a hold of her leg and flipped her onto the floor. She cried out and I grimaced.

"Fi, are you okay," I asked as she swung her legs, knocking mine out from under me. I should have known that was coming. I fell on my back, my skull making impact with the floor so hard that I was knocked senseless. Two Fionas hovered over me, talking, but I couldn't make heads or tails of the echoing in my ears.

"Michael. Michael, are you listening?"

They say that head injuries can add up over the years, and that blow must have been the one to combine with past injuries to do a serious number on me. She blurred and dimmed. I tried to stay awake, but I couldn't.

The last thing I heard was Fi screaming at me to wake up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Fi, he'll be fine. Trust me."

I heard Sam's voice, and by the slight echo I determined that he was speaking outside my open bedroom door. The floorboard squeaked. I took in a breath through my nose and my sinuses hurt. I brought up a hand to probe my right cheek near the cartilage in my nose and discovered the source of the pain. I bet if I looked into a mirror I would see a vivid bruise there. My eyelids were stubborn and one opened but the other would only go part way.

"I feel terrible about this, Sam. I was mad at him last night, and I let my anger run away with me," Fiona said. The regret in her tone made my heart flutter. "Maybe I should call Campbell..."

"No! He'll be fine, Fi. Maybe you should just go and come back in a couple days when he's better. And in the meantime, think about how stupid and unproductive it was to strike out like that."

"I didn't come back here to have you lecture me, Sam."

"Well, too bad Sister, because Mike is my best friend." Sam's voice rose until each word reverberated off the walls. "You're my friend too, and I'm not gonna stand by and let you kill each other when you should be loving each other."

Fi's voice sounded so small when she said, "He hurt me."

Sam tempered his volume a little as he countered, "He's hurt me too over the years, and vice versa. We got over it, and so should you."

I focused on the sight of two of the people I loved standing in front of the door arguing, oblivious to me watching from the dark room. Sam gripped Fiona's upper arms and held her tight even as she squirmed to get away. She didn't beat him up like she did me, but then, she did look like the fight was all gone from her system.

"If you can't see that Mike rented this place and left it mostly empty because he wanted you back to forge a new life with him, maybe you didn't love him as much as he thought." He calmed and his grip loosened. "Fi, true love forgives. True love rights wrongs and endures through everything. I believe that's how Mike loves you, but if you can't reciprocate…." He sighed and released her, pushing her away. "You should just walk out that door right now and never come back. He'll suffer a broken heart for awhile, but in time he'll get over it."

Her jaw worked as she tried to justify her anger, but in the end she knew that Sam was right. I had already asked for her forgiveness, but if she couldn't give me that, we were doomed. A groan escaped me, despair hitting me harder than any of Fi's blows. She heard me, and she and Sam peered into the room.

Sam came forward with a smile. "Hey, Brother, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like a truck hit me," I grumbled. I withheld the victory smile when Fiona sat on what used to be her side of the bed and leaned close to caress my sore cheek. I waited for the sharp pain, but her touch was light like butterflies flitting over my skin. I closed my eyes and basked in it.

"Michael, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this to you." I didn't respond, and she said, "Please, open your eyes. We need to talk."

"Can I leave you two alone and trust that you'll both be alive when I come back in a half hour?"

I opened my eyes and replied, "Yes, Sam."

"Good. I swear, if I see any blood..."

"Go, Sam. We'll be fine," Fiona said with a look that said if anyone was going to bleed it would be Sam if he didn't leave at that moment.

"Okay," he held up his hands and backed away. "I'll see you guys in a half hour with breakfast. Just wanted to warn ya."

The moment Sam was gone, Fiona said, "I'm sorry, Michael. But you know, you deserved it. Sam doesn't understand what you put me through, but..."

"I know," I whispered. It hurt to raise my arm and touch her face, but I did it anyway. "Fi, I said I was sorry. If you can't forgive me, Sam is right. You need to walk out that door."

She bit her bottom lip as her eyes filled with tears. "I can't do it. Part of me still wants to hate you but most of me wants to love you."

"Love is a lot better than hate. That's the most important thing I learned in the years since I was burned. My friends and family never failed to love me no matter what I did, and I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing..." I let out a tortured breath. "And yet you came back. My Ma still loves me. Sam risked his life with me by going to Ireland for the snow globe..."

"What?" Fiona was about to lay down beside me until I said the magic words. She sat and stared at me. "You went to Ireland for a snow globe? Michael, what in God's name got into you? You could have been killed!"

"Maybe. Sean and your brothers, uh, they kinda kidnapped Sam and me and took us to some house in the country. And they escorted us to the airport."

"Sean did that?" Her lips quivered into a smile.

"They didn't make it nice and easy, though." I told her about them beating us into submission and throwing us into a trunk. By the time I finished, Fiona was crying and laughing. I scowled. "It wasn't funny, Fi. Sam got some seriously bruised ribs, and I had a few bruises of my own." I pulled up my shirt and showed her the fading marks. "See?"

"Oh, Michael, I'm sorry. It's just so typical of my brothers. No doubt it was a wee bit of payback for breakin' my heart, but it was a lesson to stay away until it was safe to enter the country again."

"I suppose." I squinted up at her. "You've got a strange family, Fiona."

Chuckling, she replied, "Well, how else do ye think I got so tough? Claire... never mind." She shook her head and got off the bed before reaching out for my hand. "Come along. I want to see the snow globe that you risked life and limb for, just for me."

I smiled and rose, and I led her into the living area. Last night they'd been in shadow, but in the light of day the globes shone on their shelves. Fiona gasped and her mouth formed a large 'o' as she studied each cubby hole. She dropped my hand, cupped hers over her mouth and nose, and her eyes spilled onto her tented fingers. I'd left her speechless for a long time. All she could do was breathe in little hiccups now and then, her blurry vision requiring her to step closer. She touched a few of them, her lips working and unable to form words. I'd expected her to be pleased, but seeing Fiona overwhelmed caused my knees to grow weak. I was glad that Sam convinced me to buy the couch.

"You... you went to all these places?" Fiona turned to face me with her eyes still streaming tears of joy.

"Unfortunately, no. Sam enlisted some of his buddies to help. We went and picked up the Italy globe and the one from Ireland."

She whirled, searched each place until she found the globe from italy. Fiona pulled it off the shelf, cradled it in her hands and pressed it close to her heart. "The Ireland one I'll always treasure because it came from home, but this one..." She fought to speak. "Michael, this one looks almost exactly like the one I lost when..."

"You saved my life by bashing Wayne over the head." I nodded and smiled. "I remembered."

To my surprise and delight, she replaced the globe in its spot and sat on the couch, being careful not to irritate my sore side. Her arm slipped across my stomach and she embraced me, her head leaning on my shoulder. "Michael... thank you. Thank you for loving me so much and giving me back my collection."

"It's not really the same, but I tried."

"I know. I see that." Her lips touched mine in a light kiss. "There's one missing, though. Paris."

"Yes," I responded and my smile grew. "I thought we could go hunt that one down together on a honeymoon. If you'll have me."

"Forever?" The word stuck in her throat.

I laughed and replied, "Yes, forever, Fi. I want to marry you."

"You really think I can put up with you for the next, oh, thirty to forty years?" She planted a hand on her hip and gave me some attitude with her words. "I don't know, that's asking a lot."

"Ah, well, I tried. I'll get over the heartache eventually," I said as I looked deeply into her eyes. "But I'll never get over you." I kissed her and stood. "Have it your way, Fi."

"Michael!" She rose, but I was already turning away from her. She grabbed my arm, spun me to face her, and wrapped her arms around my neck as she ground her lips into mine. The kiss softened when I responded, and I wrapped my arms around her. She felt so good, I moaned in delight.

I think I heard the door squeak as it opened, but it squeaked again and thumped closed. Sam left us alone, like a good buddy, so we could have a proper reunion. Of course when the day soon came I would make him my best man, because through everything, he'd been my best friend, indeed.


End file.
